Word: abdullah
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Critics of Saudi Arabia will be quick to wonder if Abdullah shouldn't be paying less attention to the contours of a bowling green and more to the political lie of the land. The Sept. 11 deeds of Saudi-born terrorist Osama bin Laden and 15 fellow Saudi plane hijackers have put the secretive Kingdom's worsening strains on public view as rarely before. Whether in response to the need to curb Islamic extremism, hold down soaring population growth, combat plummeting personal incomes or eliminate royal corruption, the world is calling on Abdullah - as are many Saudis...
...weekend in Saudi Arabia. crown prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud has rounded up a few brothers, sons and friends for a royal game of lawn bowls. Wearing a Bedouin robe and an incongruous pair of striped Adidas running shoes, the de facto ruler of the world's richest oil sheikdom is ready to play. He stands up to the pitch and hurls a weighty ball down the grassy turf with impressive precision. Throughout the afternoon, he is constantly up and down from his chair, despite his considerable girth and advanced age (78). In between throws and sips...
...outsiders, the pace may seem leisurely - but there's a big rethink going on in the Kingdom, a change marked by a major charm offensive from Prince Abdullah himself. During two days of meetings with Time, which included rare visits to his private office, home and equestrian farm, the Crown Prince repeatedly stressed his alliance with the U.S., acknowledged many of Saudi Arabia's ills and discussed his plans for reform. Last week, he even tossed out an intriguing Middle East peace initiative. "We have gone through shock and denial," explains a Saudi official. "Now we're asking...
Many ordinary Saudis agree that Abdullah, unlike most of their princes, realizes the correct answer to that question is yes. To the surprise of many who knew him as the stodgy, longtime commander of the 75,000-strong Saudi Arabian National Guard, he emerged well before Sept. 11 as a rare Saudi leader in advocating internal reform and a more assertive foreign policy. As Abdullah's profile rises, no other prince matches his popularity, which is largely due to the Saudi perception of him as straight-talking and above corruption, especially compared with some of his conspicuously super-rich brothers...
Saudis nonetheless regard Abdullah as a dedicated, in-touch ruler. Each day he rises around noon, greets visiting dignitaries, emissaries and ordinary citizens until his 7 p.m. lunch, naps until midnight and then puts in another day's work at the office until dawn prayers. Though devout, if he's a zealot about anything it's TV news: his office has a bank of 33 television sets so he can monitor all available satellite channels at once. In contrast to more remote royals, Abdullah has become a populist prince, touring the country and even munching burgers in fast-food restaurants...